WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 98: Sorcerers from the North (2)

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"Nice to meet you. I'm Ri Gicheol, from the Republic."

Oh, so this was one of the sorcerers from North Korea.

My image of North Koreans had been either starving street kids or old soldiers covered in medals, but this guy was a pretty sharp-looking middle-aged man.

He was tall, and his beard was neatly trimmed.

He wasn't some impossibly handsome movie star or battle-hardened veteran straight out of a drama.

Still, Ri Gicheol, who looked like their leader, wasn't the one bothering me most.

It was the hooded girl behind him.

She looked young enough to still be in high school, or maybe she had just become an adult. She seemed about the same age as Bang Seoryeong.

She was glaring at me so openly that I wondered if I'd done something wrong.

Look at all that venom in her eyes.

But I couldn't lose.

I glared right back. I wasn't about to blink first in a staring contest.

Long live the Republic of Korea.

Long live capitalism.

Long, long live liberalism.

"......!"

The staring contest ended surprisingly fast.

She quickly looked away and lowered her eyes.

What the hell? That was anticlimactic.

Anyway, these were sorcerers from North Korea...

What kind of sorcery did they use? How did they fight?

Just as I was getting curious, Ri Gicheol suddenly made a proposal.

"Comrades from the South. Since fate has brought us together for this Mountain Lord hunt, how about a light spar?"

"A spar?"

"It can be a contest of sorcery, or a contest of Juche power."

In other words, he wanted to test us.

Everyone there understood what he meant.

These bastards were trying to establish dominance.

"Comrade Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva. I heard you are one of the finest sorcerers in the South. I'd like to witness the abilities of South Korean sorcerers. What do you say?"

"......"

Bang Seoryeong glanced around and realized she was the only one present with the authority to decide.

She was the only leader-level figure among the Five Great Lineages.

That meant the decision fell to her.

"Since Seon Master Unjeong and the Grand Academician aren't here, perhaps later..."

"Are you avoiding this because you're afraid you'll lose?"

Crack!

Even from behind her, I could practically feel the veins bulging in Bang Seoryeong's forehead.

Ri Gicheol didn't stop provoking her.

"Though we are the Republic's elite, none of our commander-class sorcerers have even come. I've heard South Korean sorcerers are formidable, so I don't imagine you'd tuck your tails and run from mere squad members."

"Ha..."

Bang Seoryeong gave a hollow laugh.

And yes, the provocation worked.

Not only Bang Seoryeong, but the Black Lotus Society members around her, along with Cheonghak and the Diamond Sect monks, had all taken the bait.

There was no backing down now.

"Fine. Let's see what you've got."

Bang Seoryeong accepted the challenge.

* * *

"Those bastard punks. We provoked them a little, and they came flying at us like moths to a flame."

"It went according to plan."

Ri Gicheol looked pleased that his provocation had succeeded.

"From what I can see, there isn't anyone impressive besides that Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva."

Ri Gicheol had claimed they were mere squad members, but that was a lie.

The people who had come were among the finest elites in the North.

Cha Hyeran in particular was considered the future of the Republic's sorcery world.

He had called them squad members to exaggerate and flaunt the Republic's military strength.

"It's a good opportunity to assess the South Korean sorcerers as well. We need to gauge their full strength for the Republic's special mission."

What Ri Gicheol and the North Korean sorcerers needed was data.

To identify any variables that might arise during this Mountain Lord operation, they needed to understand the South Korean sorcerers.

'Not that they could ever be a match for us.'

Ri Gicheol kept that thought to himself and grinned.

After all, they had the Republic's greatest genius, the prodigy of Juche power, with them.

"Comrade Cha Hyeran. You can handle the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva, can't you?"

"......Yes."

Cha Hyeran answered Ri Gicheol weakly.

She still hadn't told him about Baek Yohan.

Even with her innate spiritual ability, spiritual sight that could judge an opponent's skill and the scale of their power, she couldn't comprehend the enormous mass of spiritual power within him.

Could a person really possess that much spiritual power?

But she couldn't speak honestly about it.

North Korea was a dictatorial state with a rigid hierarchy and authoritarian rule.

Even if you couldn't do something, you had to say you could. Even if they claimed to make fermented soybean blocks from red beans, you had to believe it.

'That's right. Spiritual power isn't everything a sorcerer has. I just have to win with skill.'

Cha Hyeran forced herself to calm down and stoked her will to win.

On the South Korean side, they discussed who should participate.

"First, the Society Head of the Black Lotus Society needs to compete..."

"It's a shame the Great Monk and the Grand Academician aren't here."

"Even if they were, having all three of them compete would look a little..."

The South Korean sorcerers included warrior monks from the Diamond Sect, Confucian scholars from Cheonghak, and male shamans from the Black Lotus Society.

If Bang Seoryeong, the Society Head of the Black Lotus Society, competed, the remaining contestants had to come from the Diamond Sect and Cheonghak.

"The Diamond Sect should send Monk Mugak and Monk Jingang. Since Seon Master Unjeong isn't here, it's only right for first-generation disciples to step forward."

"So it shall be."

Yohan realized he recognized one of the Diamond Sect monks.

He was the monk who had stepped in at the Ghost Market when that swindler had tried to run a rigged bet using Benkei's Iron Staff.

He wondered if the monk had gotten his money back then.

"Will Cheonghak be all right? Cheonghak scholars aren't particularly skilled in battle."

"Even if it isn't a direct confrontation, Cheonghak won't fall behind in a contest of sorcery and spiritual power."

"Then if Cheonghak sends two people..."

"Let's make it one."

Bang Seoryeong was the one who voiced that opinion.

"Why would Cheonghak send only one? Does the Black Lotus Society have someone capable of competing?"

Though they phrased it that way, they clearly weren't happy.

It sounded like a suggestion questioning Cheonghak's ability.

If Bang Seoryeong hadn't been the Society Head of the Black Lotus Society, it would have drawn serious opposition.

"I'm not suggesting someone from the Black Lotus Society."

Bang Seoryeong turned around.

Behind her stood some guy in his twenties.

"That friend?"

"Where is he from... Judging by the rosary, Gangnam Holy Temple Church?"

"They did say Holy Temple Church would send someone."

The Diamond Sect and Cheonghak looked at Yohan doubtfully.

Bang Seoryeong was the Society Head of the Black Lotus Society, and she had already proven herself, but what about this young guy?

"If it's Gari Bodhisattva, then I accept it."

Scholar Yoo, who knew who Yohan was, nodded as if it made sense.

"Scholar Yoo, you know him?"

"I worked on a request with him before. His skills are beyond question."

"If Scholar Yoo says so..."

Cheonghak and the Diamond Sect, who had been secluded on Taebaeksan, didn't know.

They didn't know Gari Bodhisattva was a sorcerer who had received the Black Knot, or that he had recently defeated the infamous necromancer Kim Gicheol alone.

The Black Lotus Society's male shamans, however, reacted differently.

"Hng..."

They had seen it.

The enormous maw devouring Dragon Gods, and the Eight-Foot Sister firing twin autocannons.

They had also seen the traitorous male shamans melt to death in a bathhouse.

The Black Lotus Society's male shamans remained silent, unwilling to remember that horrible sight.

* * *

The underground auditorium of the Taebaeksan Hotel.

The contest of sorcery began in an auditorium surrounded by sorcerers from Cheonghak, the Diamond Sect, and the Black Lotus Society.

The first to step forward was Mugak, a first-generation disciple of the Diamond Sect.

Other than the Society Head of the Black Lotus Society, he was the most senior exorcist monk there. He was famous for his body, tempered like steel, and the iron-like staff he wielded.

"Senior Lieutenant Park Cheol of the Paranormal Military Force Management Bureau."

"Mugak, first-generation disciple of the Diamond Sect."

Both men looked like martial fighters through and through.

Their battle was close.

Whenever Mugak swung his iron staff, Park Cheol blocked with his shield and sword before launching a counterattack. Their tactical maneuvering and reflexes surpassed even those of professional fighters.

"......I've lost."

Park Cheol was ultimately the one who lost.

After a close fight, Mugak returned to his seat, sweat pouring down him like rain.

"Monk Mugak only barely won..."

"I thought he would crush him."

Though they had taken one victory, the South Korean sorcerers were the ones shaken.

Mugak was one of the strongest first-generation disciples of the Diamond Sect.

In other words, he was someone expected to lead the Diamond Sect in the future.

Yet he had barely managed to defeat a single sorcerer from the North.

It proved that the North Korean sorcerers were far stronger than they had imagined.

"I'm Major Kim Jinhyeok."

The next sorcerer was another martial fighter. Jingang, a first-generation disciple, stepped out to face him, and Kim Jinhyeok won.

"The North Korean sorcerers are better than I expected."

"Are they really that impressive?"

"Considering that the lineage of sorcerers in the North was cut off for such a long time, even more so."

Sorcery was a collection of old techniques that had developed through traditions built over generations, but that lineage had long been severed in North Korea.

In a socialist republic, all things spiritual were considered counterrevolutionary.

Pastor Park had said so too.

During the military dictatorship, North Korea had been plagued by ghosts and yokai dropped in by South Korean sorcerers, and South Korean sorcerers had been dispatched there until just over a decade ago.

It hadn't been long since North Korea became independent of South Korea in the world of exorcism.

Until recently, the North had lacked the lineages of sorcery and sorcerers that had accumulated on this land over countless years.

"I'm curious to see what North Korean sorcery is like."

The third match was a battle between sorcerers.

Scholar Yoo of Cheonghak stepped forward. On the other side was Ri Myeonghui, a sorcerer in a People's uniform with a red belt.

Ri Myeonghui, holding a bronze bell, began the assault by whipping up the wind.

Blade-sharp winds rained down on Scholar Yoo, but he spread open his fan and chanted an incantation.

"If names are not correct, words do not accord. Evil does not invade righteousness. Righteous energy remains in the heart, and rectification of names enters the Way!"

Cheonghak's sorcery denied strange phenomena, feats of strength, disorder, and spirits, forcing the world onto the righteous path.

The Confucian scholars' main method was to establish barriers and break down sorcery.

When Scholar Yoo blocked the spell, Ri Myeonghui shook the bronze bell wildly and intensified the attack.

Watching the blade winds pour down, Yohan remembered the great yokai Kamaitachi he had fought in Japan.

"Kamaitachi was better than this."

"......Surely you mean the Japanese great yokai Kamaitachi?"

"Yeah. I took one down in Kyoto."

"......"

Bang Seoryeong looked at Yohan as if he were insane.

How could a mere human be compared to a great yokai? Even high-ranking sorcerers had to hunt in groups to take down a great yokai.

Wasn't something wrong with his standards?

"By the way, where are Gari and the Eight-Foot Sister?"

"Oh, I told them to wait outside. There are plenty of people here who can see spirit bodies, so I didn't want to scare anyone for no reason."

"......The match is about to begin, though?"

She was asking whether he didn't intend to bring out Gari and the Eight-Foot Sister for the match.

"We aren't fighting to the death. Wouldn't bringing those two out be a bit much?"

"......"

So Yohan intended to compete without using his full strength.

To be fair, the North Koreans probably weren't revealing all their strength either. Still, Yohan mainly fought using familiars, yet he wasn't even going to use them.

The third match ended in the meantime.

Ri Myeonghui of the North won, while the injured Scholar Yoo trudged away.

"Two to one..."

"The North Korean sorcerers are this skilled?"

North Korea was performing far better than anyone had expected.

The South Korean sorcerers, flustered, fell into a gloomy mood.

The North Korean side, on the other hand, was now confident they would win decisively.

"Lieutenant Colonel Ri Gicheol won't lose, so once we take down the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva in the captains' match, it'll be a crushing four-to-one victory."

They had put Ri Gicheol forward fourth.

As a senior officer of the Paranormal Military Force Management Bureau, his victory against most South Korean sorcerers was assured.

That would leave Cha Hyeran to face the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva in the captains' match.

And Cha Hyeran's victory was practically guaranteed.

"We will begin the fourth match!"

Ri Gicheol stepped forward with a confident expression.

But unexpectedly, he found the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva standing across from him.

"You... Why are you here?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Aren't you their captain? You've used a cheap trick...!"

Based on ability alone, it was only natural for the Society Head of the Black Lotus Society to compete as the captain.

Yet she had come out fourth, defying his expectations.

Ri Gicheol was certain it was a calculated move to secure victory.

"Didn't you use a cheap trick too, Lieutenant Colonel?"

"Hmph... You won't think that once you see who comes out as our captain."

"Oh? So that young girl is the strongest?"

"......"

Bang Seoryeong had naturally expected Ri Gicheol, who had come as the deputy commander, to be their strongest fighter.

Cha Hyeran was an unexpected wild card, and Bang Seoryeong's reaction was strange.

"What a coincidence. I'm not our strongest fighter either."

"What?"

The Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva wasn't their strongest card?

Bang Seoryeong, the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva, won the fourth match.

Ri Gicheol was, like the previous two, a martial fighter. Even he had no way to win against the Dragon Maiden Bodhisattva with multiple Dragon Gods at her command.

"Kgh... I've lost!"

He didn't know she hadn't even used her trump card yet.

It wasn't something she could show in a place like this.

The score was now two to two.

With the close contest continuing, both sides sent out their captains.

"Huh... An unknown nobody is coming out as their captain."

"He must be skilled if the Society Head of the Black Lotus Society acknowledges him, but isn't he too young? The young lady from the North is young as well, but still."

"Did Holy Temple Church have an exorcist like that? Wasn't Pastor Go Pastor Park's prized disciple?"

Nobody seemed to expect much from Yohan.

After seeing the unexpected skill of the North Korean sorcerers, the South Korean side assumed even Cha Hyeran's young age reflected extraordinary talent, while underestimating their own side.

They judged two young people very differently.

The two captains themselves felt differently.

"Hello. For now, I call myself Gari Bodhisattva. Should I give you my real name?"

"L-Lieutenant Cha Hyeran. My real name... isn't necessary."

"Wow, you're a soldier. I got discharged as an Army sergeant after completing my service too. Ah, your rank is way higher than mine."

How fascinating.

Yohan was only curious about what kind of sorcery Cha Hyeran would use.

Cha Hyeran, on the other hand, wasn't.

Her spiritual sight showed her a vast sea of spiritual power with no bottom in sight.

Not even the great yokai she had encountered in the North had possessed this much.

"Then we will begin the match!"

The moment the referee announced the start, Cha Hyeran made the first move.

She too was a prodigy of the North Korean exorcism world.

Called a genius among geniuses, she possessed vast spiritual power.

Cha Hyeran planned to manipulate the objects around them with spiritual power and hurl them at Yohan.

She would first obscure his vision with a massive wave of weapons held by the warrior monks, talismans and Spirit Blades carried by the male shamans, and more.

"......!"

But nothing moved.

Before the match, she had secretly infused the weapons with spiritual power and seized control of them. Yet now, for some reason, they would not move.

"W-what is this...?"

Cha Hyeran realized the cause and froze in horror.

It was Yohan.

Yohan was pinning down the weapons she had tried to manipulate.

His sheer overwhelming spiritual power was crushing them like a boulder.

Footnotes:

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